Community MetaSteam | September 2023 - The galaxy awaits

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spindoctor

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Jun 9, 2019
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Unlike many people here, I don't think Embracer had the wrong idea with their acquisitions. I read some news a while ago that annual revenue from the gaming industry was more than the movie and music industries combined. Now I'm not sure how recent these figures are and whether or not they were skewed by the pandemic but Embracer didn't just start now. They saw this coming a long time ago. They have been doing this for at least 10 years (since the time they bought THQ assets after that company's demise).

The thing about this game publishing business is that it takes aeons to get it going if you're starting from scratch. If you think about it, all the big publishers that exist today (EA, Activision, Take 2, Ubisoft, Square Enix) got their start in the 1990s. The console platform holders are all at least 2-3 decades old and even then we've seen how the youngest of them (xbox) is having some trouble keeping their house in order with publishing. The only way to get into this business right now is through acquisitions.

And while it hasn't turned out well for Embracer, there are some mistakes they made and some things that were out of their control. The thing that couldn't have done anything about was the Covid pandemic. The monetary policy adopted by the central banks of many countries during that period contributed to the global inflation we're seeing today and now central banks are trying to walk it back by raising interest rates. Money has gotten more expensive to borrow. Which means the input costs for running a business have gone up. This is not an Embracer problem... this is affecting every single business in the world today. Everyone is trying to cut costs right now.

I personally think Embracer made two big mistakes. The first one, and this going to sound unkind, is that they bought up a lot of garbage. Remember they started their acquisition spree about 10 years ago when THQ went bankrupt. And while it might have been worth it to buy up those studios and IPs if they were cheap enough, you have to remember that THQ went bankrupt for a reason. These were the very studios and IPs that did not lead to THQ remaining above water. Ever since then, with few exceptions, they have been buying up mid tier studios and IPs. They built up a portfolio of what we usually refer to as AA games/IPs. The problem is those kinds of games do not have much of a market anymore. Consumers have spoken and we do not buy those games in big enough numbers to justify their production. Meanwhile game development has consistently gotten more and more expensive over time. People sometimes say that they could just manage their sales expectations and adjust the budget accordingly but development is so expensive that that would mean cutting many people out and having much shorter dev cycles which would lead to the product not reaching the quality standards that consumers demand anyway. There's a reason AA games have basically gone extinct in the current market.

The other big mistake they made is that they didn't go for a GAAS studio. Every publisher these days is either running a hit GAAS game or is searching for one. EA has FIFA ultimate team money that lets them try out a Dead Space or Immortals of Aveum once in a while. Activision has Call of Duty and Blizzard money which lets them try a Crash Bandicoot once in a blue moon. Take 2 has GTA money which lets them take a punt on something like The Outer Worlds now and then. Ubisoft is forever searching for their own GAAS hit lol. Only the platform holders can afford to go without that kind of money and even they are searching anyway with Sony getting Destiny and soon Microsoft will have Call of Duty. Recurring, persistent revenues from ongoing games is what lets companies take risks or absorb shocks when they happen. To my knowledge, Embracer didn't buy any company that would give them that cushion.

And so now we arrive where we are. They're looking to sell Borderlands which is one of their crown jewels in terms of IP and revenue potential. Things must be really bad at the company if this is where they are at. They still do have some companies doing well. Remnant 2 and Dead Island 2 did well. Satisfactory as well. Hopefully Amazon and Microsoft funding will keep Tomb Raider and Crystal Dynamics alive. Hopefully Eidos will get a chance to go back to Deus Ex. Some of their companies will be fine. Others will not survive. People lament the closure of Volition but to be blunt it's kind of a miracle they were alive this long to begin with. They haven't had a hit since Saints Row 4 came out 10 years ago. You absolutely cannot remain unprofitable for 10 years and hope to survive. What exactly was Embracer supposed to do then? They could try and sell the studio but are there any buyers for a studio with this track record and IP? That buyer would be making the same mistake Embracer did. Were they supposed to go to Volition and say "Hey, here's another 100 million dollars. We'll see you in 5 years with your next game. Maybe you'll make us money this time?". Were they supposed to fire 80% of the studio, kill all morale and then tell the remaining 20% that they have 1.5 years to put out another Freespace game? The truth is Volition was on borrowed time long before Embracer ended it. And I expect this might happen to some more studios. I hope places like Piranha Bytes can survive but the sad truth is that these companies are in a business (AA games) that does not have a sustainable market anymore. Embracer's mistake of buying them would not have changed that basic reality and they would have had to face it independently anyway. It's all pretty unfortunate.

I got you covered


6-7 years after release they tried shoving in premium currency (into a entirely offline single player game with cheat codes. modding, etc) RPG lol

It was so insanely stupid
Well this is just amazing.
 

kio

MetaMember
Apr 19, 2019
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Would you have to delete this file every time you boot up the game or when it's doing shader precompilation?
Still, rather neat discovery. Hope nixxes can still patch the game to make this unnecessary on fast ssds
Call me jaded but I think that file and behaviour is there by design in order to make the PS5 look better in comparisson.
 

Dinjoralo

None shall remember those who do not fight.
Dec 6, 2018
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CPUs will burn

If this actually makes significant use of my CPU, I'd be kinda stunned. My PC has an i5 12600K and an RTX 3070, I have yet to play a game that makes my CPU sweat, the GPU's always the one that makes performance bottlenecks happen.
...Though looking at the game now, it does make all 16 threads hit 60-70%. :fearful-face:

Out on EA. Waiting to see if there is any kind of discount later today. But I am not saying no to some more picross!
Ooooh, neat!
...Wait, the font for number hints is the same one used in Picross games on the Switch. Like, it's the exact same one. Huh.
 
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Mivey

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Sep 20, 2018
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Call me jaded but I think that file and behaviour is there by design in order to make the PS5 look better in comparisson.
Nah, Nixxes has no issues with making the consoles look bad, they even added plenty new futures to their PC ports, like ray traced shadows for the spidey games. We are also talking about a second or so improvement, so it's quite possible that they simply thought it was "good enough" and didn't consider further optimisations.

If they wanted to make it artificially slower, then there's far easier things they could do than checking whether a random file is there. This looks a geniune bug
 
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BaoLunia

Indie games
Nov 25, 2022
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kio

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Apr 19, 2019
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Finished Remnant From the Ashes and honestly I have no idea why I put myself through that ordeal. At least solo the game isn't fun maybe playing in co-op improves things but there were certain core mechanics and design decisions that even playing with friends can't save. The tedious and unrewarding exploration, the endless waves of brainless enemies, the minion-spawning bosses (one of which is almost an exact copy of a Dark Souls boss), the repetitive levels and world architecture... it's all so bland and uninspiring.
Midway through the game I came to the conclusion the best comparisson to it is Dragon Age 2 and I also hate-played that game to completion, so I clearly have a problem.
I also love the fact that after beating the final boss you're teleported back to base and no one aknowledges what you just did. Just the cherry on top of a crap cake. Unless the sequel made significant structural changes I won't bother with it.
 

C-Dub

Makoto Niijima Fan Club President
Dec 23, 2018
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Fuck off Unity
Someone on Era said this might be retroactive.

If so, expect a bunch of Unity games to get delisted from stores as cash-strapped indies and small publishers try to avoid having the rug pulled from under their feet.
 
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Le Pertti

0.01% Game dev
Oct 10, 2018
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lepertti.com
Someone on Era said this might be retroactive.

If so, expect a bunch of Unity games to get delisted from stores as cash-strapped indies and small publishers try to avoid having the rug pulled from under their feet.
That I can't believe, shit like that HAS to be illegal. Changing the terms and contract after the fact.
 

C-Dub

Makoto Niijima Fan Club President
Dec 23, 2018
3,992
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That I can't believe, shit like that HAS to be illegal. Changing the terms and contract after the fact.
I mean, if you agree to terms that suggest Unity can change those terms at their whim, there might not be much you can do.

Thankfully it can only apply going forward, so developers won’t get rinsed for previous installs, but I expect many may pull their games to avoid accidentally crossing the $200k earnings threshold and getting a surprise bill.
 

fantomena

MetaMember
Dec 17, 2018
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For a moment I that Steam has either been hacked or I was one sort of Steam scam site.
 

C-Dub

Makoto Niijima Fan Club President
Dec 23, 2018
3,992
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For a moment I that Steam has either been hacked or I was one sort of Steam scam site.
Why?

Edit: Never mind, I just looked at the Steam website on desktop.
 
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Mona

The Giveaway Gal
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Jul 10, 2021
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Stevey

Gromlintroid
Dec 8, 2018
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I got less and less interested the more I read thorugh that. :V
This used to be great, dont think it works anymore.

 

Censored

I didn't delete that post!. Get my post back!.
Oct 8, 2021
1,221
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Small indie game Only Up! delisted on September 8th

Only Up! was originally removed from Steam on June 30th, 2023 due to copyright claims. The game made it back to Steam briefly, but on September 6th, 2023, developer SCKR Games announced the impending removal of the game in a posting. SCKR Games also changed the name in the Steam entry to “not available” and the developer name to “Indiesolodev.” Here’s a look at the Steam entry from the Wayback Machine to see how it was. SCKR Games penned the following:
I’m a solo developer and this game is my first experience in Gamedev, a game I did for creativity, to test myself, and where I made a lot of mistakes. The game has kept me under a lot of stress all these months. Now I want to put the game behind me. And yes. the game won’t be available in the steam store soon, that’s what I decided myself. What I need now is peace of mind and healing. I plan to take a pause, and continue my education in game design and further with new experience and knowledge to direct my energies to my next game with the working title “Kith” – it will be a new experience and a new concept with realism, a completely different genre and setting, and the emphasis is on cinematography. This time I hope the project will be created by a small team. This is a challenging project on which I want to significantly improve my skills in game design.
Thank you for your understanding.
Only Up! Steam news – September 6th, 2023


Code:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2381590/not_available/

Wow!!, this game got viral on Twitch this summer by a lot of japanese streamers.
 

Amzin

No one beats me 17 times in a row!
Dec 5, 2018
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I was thinking I'd buy myself a game or two off my wishlist that's on sale for the Steam anniversary but surprisingly few of my wishlist games are. Not sure if I dare look at what deals they have going on and add to my list though :grimacing-face:
 

C-Dub

Makoto Niijima Fan Club President
Dec 23, 2018
3,992
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I was thinking I'd buy myself a game or two off my wishlist that's on sale for the Steam anniversary but surprisingly few of my wishlist games are. Not sure if I dare look at what deals they have going on and add to my list though :grimacing-face:
The Halloween Sale next month is probably gonna be better for general purpose buys. Unless you're eagerly looking for something new to play now, I'd recommend waiting until then.
 
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Nabs

Hyper˗Toxic Pro˗Consumer
Oct 23, 2018
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Stephen Totilo @stephentotilo

I got some clarifications from Unity regarding their plan to charge developers per game install (after clearing thresholds) - If a player deletes a game and re-installs it, that's 2 installs, 2 charges - Same if they install on 2 devices - Charity games/bundles exempted from fees

I noted that the charge per installation seemed vulnerable to abuse (as noted by @tha_rami as well). Unity says it will use fraud detection tools and allow developers to report possible instances of fraud to a compliance team
:moneytoburn:
 

Durante

I <3 Pixels
Oct 21, 2018
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If this actually makes significant use of my CPU, I'd be kinda stunned. My PC has an i5 12600K and an RTX 3070, I have yet to play a game that makes my CPU sweat, the GPU's always the one that makes performance bottlenecks happen.
...Though looking at the game now, it does make all 16 threads hit 60-70%. :fearful-face:
Cyberpunk 2077 is already (pre-2.0) one of the better-optimized games when it comes to effective CPU parallelism.
If you look at how it performs at a given level of fidelity compared to other recent open world releases it's actually quite impressive IMHO.
 

thekeats1999

MetaMember
Dec 10, 2018
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I am sorry, but charging a dev everytime the same person re-installs a game is fucked up.

I am guessing this must dial back to Unity as well, so does that mean they will get charged everytime a game is pirated and installed?
 
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Acidote

Omega Yul
Jun 16, 2019
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I own almost every highlighted game at least from the first decade. I'm hitting 20 on my first account in exactly a week.
 
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